Brizzel qualifies for 200m semi with ease

Ballymena sprinter Paul Brizzel is through to this evening’s 200m semi-finals at the World Indoor Championships in the Sportarena, Budapest, after placing second in his first round heat this morning.

He could afford to ease off in the final straight with only three athletes in his race, from lane six, to cross the line in an uninspiring time of 21.12, behind Swede Johan Wissman (20.96), the sixth fastest in the world in 2004.

However, the 27-year-old will have to trouble his one-year-old Irish record of 20.75 if he is to progress from the semi-finals, which get under way at 5.40pm Irish time.

Athenry’s Paul Hession actually ran the same time as Brizzel in the first heat, but lost out as his agonising wait for a fastest loser spot ended when Pole Marcin Jedrusinski ran 21.02 behind Namibian star Frankie Fredericks (20.98 SB), for third in heat five.

The 20-year-old Irishman was edged out in his heat by Frenchman Jimmy Melford by .07s, with Cameroon’s Joseph Batangdon, the world leader, in first (21.01).

Ciara Sheehy also missed out on 200m qualification by three tenths of a second, as Rachelle Boone of the United States made through from heat three as the second fastest loser with a time of 23.59.

Sheehy, 23, whose season’s best is 23.41s, was below par in the time of 23.86, placing third behind heat winner, Anastasiya Kapachinskaya of Russia (23.10).

RESULTS:

Men’s: 200m First Round: (First two qualify, plus one fastest loser) Heat 1 – (1) J Batangdon (CMR) 21.01secs (Q), (2) J Melford (FRA) 21.05 (Q), (3) P Hession (IRL) 21.12

Heat 2 – (1) J Wissman (SWE) 20.96secs (Q), (2) P Brizzel (IRL) 21.12 (Q)

Women’s: 200m First Round: (First two qualify, plus one fastest loser) Heat 1 – (1) A Kapachinskaya (RUS) 23.10secs (Q), (2) N Pygyda (UKR) 23.39, (3) C Sheehy (IRL) 23.86